Running Head: BULLYING BEHAVIORS in MIDDLE SCHOOL
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Running head: BULLYING BEHAVIORS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL
Frequency and Type of Bullying Behaviors in Middle School
Phyllis R. Babin
Southeastern Louisiana University
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BULLYING BEHAVIORS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL
Abstract
Bullying, harassment of another person on purpose, is a continuousproblem all around the world. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a difference in the frequency and type of bullying behaviors reported by male students as compared to female students. This study will use convenience sampling. Two middle school regular education ELA classes from each grade level will be chosen for this project. This study will use an ex post facto research design. The School Climate Bullying Survey will be used to measure the frequency and type of bullying behaviors among male and female middle school-aged students.
Frequency and Type of Bullying Behaviors in Middle School
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a difference in the frequency and type of bullying behaviors reported by male middle school-aged students as compared to female middle school-aged students.
Review of Literature
Bullying is a serious problem in today’s schools that deeply affects the lives of many children and youth (Franks, Rawana, & Brownlee, 2013). Bullying has become an increasingly urgent problem within United States (US) schools. It is a topic of heightened public concern among parents, school officials, and policy makers. The first-ever White House Conference on Bullying Prevention was held in early 2011(Peguero, 2012). The gaolof this conference was to address bullying within US schools. Bullying, in all forms, occurs at an alarming rate among students in elementary, middle and high schools all around the world (Vaillancourt et al., 2010). Involvement in bullying, whether as a bully, a victim, or both, has many negative and broad reaching outcomes. Bullying is persistent, direct, and harsh during the middle school years. Bullying extends far beyond just occasional fighting or disagreements between peers. Bullying is repeated and intentional harassment of another person. This has become a widespread problem that has led to tragic endings involving the suicide of young people due to bullying and cyberbullying (Ocerman, Kramer, & Bruno, 2013). Many teachers and school administrators now recognize the problem of school bullying. Numerous bullying prevention and intervention programs have been developed and implemented in schools around the world. Many districts requireparticipation in mandatory training for all personnel to learn how to detect, prevent, and end bullying.
Most of the time, teachers are not present when bullying occurs (Strohmeier & Noam, 2012). Research suggests that many bullying incidents are not reported to school officials. This significantly hampers an educator’s ability to define the type and frequency of bullying behavior in their schools or districts. (Petrosino, Guckenburg, DeVoe & Hanson, 2010). When bullying is not reportedor is under reported, administrators do not receive acomplete picture of the frequency or the type of bullying behaviors in their schools. Also, by not reporting bullying, the conditions and setting in which bullying occurs will remain unknown and makes it difficult or impossible to address. When bullying is reported, school personnel and administrators need to learn more about the aftermath of the reported bullying, including school responses to reports and whether victims who report bullying suffer any repercussions.
Research suggests that there is a significant difference in the frequency and type of bullying based on gender. It is also now recognized that bystander behavior plays an important part in bullying (Rigby, 2012). Girls are more likely to experience verbal and social methods of bullying (Simplico, 2013). Girls are also more likely to experience more psychological distress as a result of harassment by their classmates in comparison to boys. The bullying experience for boys is characterized by physical attacks, threats, and destruction of property. (Peguero, 2012). Therefore, school administrators tend to focus attention on and implement interventions in the physical aggression bullying behaviors demonstrated among boys. While doing this, they often fail to consider or even try to intervene in the understated and very meaningful social world of girls. The experience of bullying in boys’ lives is perceived as normal and is tolerated by many. Both boys and girls who are bullied suffer immediate harm as well as long-term mental distress. Victims may withdraw from friends, drop out of normal activities, begin to experience self-esteem problems, may develop anxiety and anger issues, and have higher levels of depression (Ockerman, Kramer & Bruno, 2013). In both genders, all forms of bullying causes academic problems such as absenteeism, decreased quality of schoolwork, cutting classes, poor grades, tardiness, and truancy. It also interferes with the development of healthy relationships and overall classroom learning (Beran 2006). In the most tragic cases, bullying and cyberbullying have been linked with increased suicidal attempts.
The harmful and far reachingeffects of bullying cannot be overstated (Seeley, Tombari, Bennett, & Dunkle,2011). Bullying should never be tolerated. Given the frequency of all types of bullying, children, parents, and school personnel need to become more aware of all forms of bullying, how to help prevent it, how to make sure it is reported, and how to address bullying that has already occurred.
Hypothesis
It is hypothesized that the frequency and type of bullying behaviors reported by middle school males will be statistically significantly higher than the frequency and type of bullying behaviors reported by middle school females.
Operational Definitions
Bullying is defined as the use of one’s strength or popularity to injure, threaten, or embarrass another person on purpose. Bullying can be physical, verbal, social, or cyber. Physical bullying refers to repeatedly hitting, kicking, or shoving someone on purpose. Verbal bullying refers to repeatedly teasing, putting down, or insulting someone on purpose. Social bullying refers to getting others repeatedly to ignore or leave someone out on purpose. Cyber bullying refers to using technology (cell phone, email, internet chat and posting, etc.) to tease or put down someone. Middle school-aged students refer to traditional, middle school students enrolled in sixth, seventh, or eighth grade. Traditional, middle school students refer to middle school students between the ages of 11 and 15. Frequency refers to the number of times that a behavior occurs. Type of bullying behavior refers to physical, verbal, social, or cyber.
Methodology
Research Design
This study will utilize a concurrent mixed methods design (QUAL = QUANT). The quantitative component will use an ex post facto research design. For this study, the independent variable will be gender. The levels will include male middle school-aged students and female middle school aged students who report bullying. The dependent variable will be the frequency and the type of bullying behaviors reported. This type of research will only allow for possible cause and effect conclusions. In addition to the quantitative data, interviews with students who report bullying will be conducted.
Sample
A convenience sample of 150 middle school students between the ages of 11 and 15 will be used in this study. Two middle school regular education ELA classes from each grade level will be chosen. There will be two groups in the study. Group A will consist of 78 male students and Group B will consist of 72 female students. The study will take place in a semi-rural middle school with a total enrollment of 536 students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Forty-eight percent of the students receive free or reduced lunch according to the guidelines set forth by the state of Louisiana. Twenty-five percent of the students are African American, 68 percent are Caucasian, five percent are Hispanic, one percent is Native American and one percent is Asian.
Instrumentation
The School Climate Bullying Survey (Dewey Cornell, 2012) will be used in this study. This test contains 55 questions and takes approximately 20 minutes to administer. The questions are divided in to eight categories: (a) frequency and type of bullying, (b) whom the student told about being bullied, (c) locations where bullying occurred, (d) school climate scales, (e) validity items, (f) demographics of gender, age, grade, and ethnicity/race, (g) identification of bullied peers, and (h) student suggestions. The response format is a likert-type scale. The survey will be given in one classroom period, consisting of 70 minutes. The authors of this survey instrument relied on expert judgment to develop the validity. Reliability has not yet been determined at this time.
Procedures
Two middle school regular education ELA classes from each grade level(sixth, seventh, and eighth grade) will be chosen for this project at a middle school in southeast Louisiana. These classes will be chosen because every student in middle school should be enrolled in an ELA course; therefore, the majority of the school’s population would be accounted for in this project. Each regular education ELA class will consist of 25 students. Students will complete a School Climate Bulling Survey. The survey will be conducted in one day. Students will not be informed prior to the survey. The survey will ask questions regarding the frequency and type of bullying, whom the student told about being bullied, locations where bullying occurred, and demographics of the student. In addition to the surveys, interviews will be conducted with students who report bullying.
Data Analysis
For the purpose of this study, an independent-samples t-test will be used to analyze the data. Qualitative data from the interviews will be analyzed to identify emerging trends.
References
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Ockerman, M. S., Kramer, C., & Bruno, M. (2013). From the school yard to cyber space: A pilot
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Peguero, A. A. (2012). Schools, bullying, and inequality: intersecting factors and complexities
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